510 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov 



been known to remove callous bunches as hard 



as bone. I will report if successful in this case. 



Hill, N. H., Sept., 1858. N. F. Mokkill. 



NEW WAY OF PAYING- A SUBSCKIP- 

 TION. 



A correspondent of the Lagrange Whig gives 

 the following amusing account of the way a 

 farmer was taught how cheaply he could take the 

 papers. The lesson is worth pondering by a 

 good many men "we wot of." 



"You have hens at home, of course. Well, I 

 will send you my paper one year,forthe proceeds 

 of a single hen for one season ; merely the pro- 

 ceeds. It seems trifling, preposterous, to imag- 

 ine the products of a siijgle hen will pay the sub- 

 cription ; perhaps it won't, but I make the offer." 



"Done!" exclaimed Farmer B., "I agree to it," 

 and appealed to me as a witness to the affair. 



The farmer went off, apparently much elate 

 with his conquest ; the editor went on his way 

 rejoicing. 



Time rolled around, and the world revolved on 

 its axis, and the sun moved in its orbit as it for- 

 merly did ; the farmer received his paper regu- 

 larly, and regaled himself with the information 

 from it, and said "he was surprised at the pro- 

 gress of himself and family in general informa- 

 tion." 



Some time in the month of September, I hap- 

 pened up again in the office, when who should 

 enter but our old friend, Farmer B. 



"How do you do, Mr. B. ?" said the editor, ex- 

 tending his hand, and his countenance lit up with 

 a bland smile ; take a chair, sir, and be seated ; 

 fine weather we have." 



"Yes, sir, quite fine, indeed,"he answered, and 

 then a short silence ensued, during which our 

 friend B. hitched his chair backward and forward, 

 twirled his thumbs abstractedly, and spit pro- 

 fusely. Starting up quickly, he said, addressing 

 the editor, "Mr. D., I have brought you the pro- 

 ceeds of that hen." 



It was amusing to see the peculiar expression 

 of the editor, as he followed the farmer down to 

 the wagon. I could hardly keep my risibles 

 down. 



When at the wagon, the farmer commenced 

 handing over to the editor the products of the 

 hen, which, on being counted, amounted to eigh- 

 teen pullets, worth a shilling each, and a number 

 of dozen of eggs, making in the aggregate, at 

 the least calculation, $2.50 — more than the price 

 of the paper. 



"No need," said he, "of men not taking a fam- 

 ily newspaper, and paying for it, too. I don't 

 miss this from the roost, and yet I have paid for 

 a year's subscription, and over. x\ll folly, sir ; 

 there is no man but can take a newspaper ; it's 

 charity, you know, commences at home." 



"But," resumed the editor, "I will pay for what 

 is over the subscription. I did not intend this 

 as a means of profit, but rather to convince you. 

 I will pay for — " 



"Not a bit of it, sir ; a bargain is a bargain, 

 and I am already paid, sir — doubly paid, sir. 

 And whenever a neighbor makes the complaint 

 I did, I will relate to him the hen story. Good- 

 day, gentlemen." 



HOW TO MANURE TREES IN GRASS 

 LAND. 



Very few persons manure trees growing in sod 

 or grass land, in a judicious or economical man- 

 ner. The general practice is to dig the manure 

 in, within a diameter of six feet, having the body 

 for the centre. The tree takes its food from the 

 young rootlets, whose mouths extend just as far 

 on every side, as the branches of the trees ; hence, 

 this manure applied close to the body of the tree, 

 is not where the roots take it up ; and, of course, 

 but little of its value is absorbed by the tree. If 

 you doubt it, just try the experiment on two 

 trees. Serve the one as above named, and the 

 other, as follows, viz : — Mark a circle around the 

 tree, having for its outline the exact radius form- 

 ed by the overhanging branches ; dig on the in- 

 ner side of this circle a trench two feet wide, and 

 one foot deep ; mix well-rotted manure half and 

 half with the best of the soil, or the earth dug 

 out of the trench, and fill the trench with it ; then 

 replace the turf, and wheel away the refuse, or 

 extra earth ; rake clean and smooth ; you will 

 have a good growth of tree ; your fruit large and 

 more fair, and no unsightly or unnatural hillock 

 or mound around the body of the tree. 



For the New Ungland Farmer. 

 MOWING MACHINES BY OXEN. 



Mr. Editor : — I observed an inquiry in your 

 paper of the 4ih inst., whether "mowing machines 

 can be worked with oxen ; and if so, which ma- 

 chine operates in that way the best ?" 



I beg leave to reply — partly in confirmation 

 of your own answer — that the use of oxen with 

 these machines is, in some sections of the coun- 

 try, very common ; though horses are generally 

 preferred where they may be conveniently had', 

 I have seen the Allen machine worked by oxen 

 enough to convince me, that, with a well trained, 

 stout pair, driven by a careful hand, the work 

 may be performed quite as easily and success- 

 fully as with horses. It will, of course, require 

 two persons to attend to the work, until the oxen 

 have become accustomed to it ; and it will always 

 be most convenient to have a rider on the seat. 

 But, after a little practice, a well trained pair of 

 cattle would not require a driver, beside the 

 rider; any more than they would, in plowing, re- 

 quire a driver beside the plowman. 



Mowing machines are fast coming into use, 

 where the land is free from rocks and much grass 

 is to be cut. They are found to save labor and 

 wages ; and frequently, much risk of injury to 

 the hay. Indeed, it is believed and asserted by 

 many, that the mere saving of hay through the 

 use of a machine, has been sufficient, in their 

 case, to nearly or quite pay the expense of mow- 



Of the several kinds of mowing machines in 

 use in this section, I know of none equal, in all 

 respects, to Allen's, either for horses or oxen. 

 And similar preference is given to it, I believe, 

 in other places, where repeated and careful trials 

 have been made to test its comparative merits 

 with other machines. Great inrprovements have 

 been made in all these machines, since the first 

 use of them, and this of Allen's has been brought 

 fully up to t^e highest measure of excellence yet 



